About this project

The STEAM Carnival is a modern traveling carnival unlike any you've ever seen. We've been buiding high-tech games for years... completely reimagining amusement with things like lasers, robots, and electricity. And now we want to bring it to your town.

We're going to start in Los Angeles and San Francisco Spring 2014. Our vision is of a state-of-the-art big tent affair at a fairground, complete with contests, prizes, tasty food, live entertainment, and a midway loaded with games that use the latest technology to provide an interactive and physical experience for the entire family.

You've heard of STEM... but we agree with John Maeda of RISD and MIT that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math aren't complete without Art. Our culture isn't doing enough to get kids interested in STEAM. As professional inventors, we rely on these disciplines every day, and want to share our excitement about them with kids young and old. Through years of building and demonstrating fun games we've learned no better way to get kids into STEAM than to show them an amazing time. When you say 'engineering' to most kids they zone out. But when you say 'lasers, robots, and fire,' you have their undivided attention.

"Only 33% of eighth graders are interested in STEM majors and only 6% of high school seniors will get a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field" (Source: Naval STEM)

In the spirit of a State Fair we hope to showcase kids' own work via creative competitions, a digital art gallery, a concert featuring musical robots, and a fashion show of wearable electronics. Kids will be able to sign up to receive one of several kits we're designing to help them create amusement-focused technical projects. You can even buy a kit that we'll send to a kid who needs it.

We hope that the STEAM Carnival becomes a community of kids and mentors who share a passion for STEAM and for the many ways to make it fun.

A few lucky kids will win a ticket to join us on the road!

We're raising money to finalize production, secure locations, and reach out to schools. Inventing new games, coordinating mentors, producing kits, and organizing a full road-ready carnival takes resources. And we need your help. The more we raise, the better the event will be and the more kids we'll reach. We've built many games already, but there's so many left to build!

This is the part where we ask for your help. Whatever you can contribute to make the STEAM Carnival a reality will be infinitely appreciated. In return, you'll get exciting rewards like tickets to the carnival, specialty t-shirts, posters, kits for the competitions and more!

Add-Ons

By pledging an amount above the Reward Tier you have selected, we're allowing backers to choose additional rewards as add-ons. At the end of our campaign, you'll be sent a survey where you can indicate what additional rewards you'd like to receive based on the amount you've pledged.

For shipping and handling, please add $10 per item for orders outside of the US & Canada.

$8 - A STEAM Carnival sticker! Show your support for STEAM

$16 - We'll arrange for an at-risk kid to attend the carnival in LA or SF

$25 - A ticket to the carnival in LA or SF

$32 - The STEAM Carnival poster

$148 - Your very own Rotocube, ready for you to assemble

$168 - An assembled Rotocube

$200 - One of our kits. Buy for yourself, your children, or we'll take care of getting it into the hands of an at-risk kid

$256 - A ticket to the Los Angeles VIP Gala on 9/28

First version of our carnival poster

Two Bit Circus is a think tank and talent magnet building products at the crossroads of amusement and education. The interdisciplinary team strives to make entertainment more enriching and education more fun. Our endeavors include attractions that increase traffic and revenue for public venues; large-scale, cause-based events that are impossible to forget; and original content that has already gathered millions of loyal followers online. Many of the members of our team were instrumental in the creation of the viral hit Rube Goldberg music video for OK Go.

Brent Bushnell - Brent is an engineer and entrepreneur with a passion for out-of-home entertainment. Past projects have included an interactive gaming restaurant, live-action games for hospitality, brain conditioning games, and GPS-enabled mobile games. He was also an on-camera inventor for the ABC TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. In his spare time, Brent mentors teens in game development and entrepreneurship via programs such as Spark and NFTE.

Eric Gradman - Eric is an inventor and entertainer who makes others see technology as magic. He has a colorful history as a circus performer, professional whistler, roboticist, and inventor. For 15 years he has designed and built cutting-edge technology products including 3d-touch displays, virtual reality systems, satellite control systems, intelligent robots, concept cars, and sensor-based games. He is at the forefront of a revolution in rapid prototyping tools which make inventing accessible to all. His highly acclaimed interactive artwork has been exhibited at LACMA, Sundance Film Festival, The Leonardo, Mindshare.LA and the TED Conference.

AND MANY MORE! Two Bit Circus is 25 people strong and growing fast! See more about our team at TwoBitCircus.com

Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese. Currently CEO of Brainrush a company focused on making learning fun and easy.

Grant Imahara, a genuine MythBuster! Grant is a genuine maker and a veteran at making science and technology accessible for the masses.

If interest in the STEAM Carnival is enthusiastic enough, we’d love to bring the carnival to more kids in more cities. VOTE FOR YOUR CITY TODAY at www.steamcarnival.com/

Risks and challenges

There will always be potential problems for any event, including the STEAM Carnival. There could be inclement weather, potential venue problems, and dozens of other event related issues we'll face. Our projected Carnival dates might change accordingly. However we're confident that we can mitigate these problems. We're already working with established event logistics teams who have solved these problems in the past with great success.

We also have a lot of issues to face in developing the kits. Choosing the right components at the right price will be a formidable task. However, we have contacts in the retail market that are well versed in fulfillment issues. We'll be partnering with one or more companies to solve these problems.

FAQ

We'll make stickers, posters, and t-shirts available via our website after the campaign. Once you're a backer you'll get the update via Kickstarter as to when it'll be available. Thanks for the enthusiasm!

Rewards

Pledge $2 or more

A huge thank you! We'll send you regular updates on our progress and a digital copy of the full Carny Home Dentistry Guide!

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

You selected

Pledge $8 or more

99 backers

A beautifully designed STEAM Carnival sticker. Apply it to the window of your clown car, engineering notebook, or pet. Show your support for STEAM!

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $16 or more

130 backers

Send an at-risk student to the carnival. We're going to blow their mind with science, technology, engineering, art, and math. And it's going to be a day to remember!

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

You selected

Pledge $20 or more

200 backers
All gone!

This is a limited edition digital pre-sale ticket to the STEAM Carnival in Los Angeles or San Francisco. It's rendered with the finest glitter pixels. Not sure you'll make it? We'll make sure this ticket makes its way into the hands of a deserving child.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

You selected

Pledge $25 or more

70 backers

This is the real thing. A digital ticket to an event that just might change your life. Not sure you'll make it? We'll make sure this ticket makes its way into the hands of a deserving child.

Pledge $32 or more

Pledge $40 or more

50 backers
All gone!

This is two (2) limited edition digital pre-sale tickets to the STEAM Carnival in Los Angeles or San Francisco. They're rendered with the finest glitter pixels. Not sure you'll make it? We'll make sure these tickets make their way into the hands of two deserving children.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

You selected

Pledge $48 or more

180 backers

Two (2) tickets to the STEAM Carnival. Bring a friend, a date, or a robot (actually, robots will be admitted for free). Not sure you'll make it? We'll make sure this ticket makes its way into the hands of deserving kids.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

You selected

Pledge $96 or more

77 backers

Family Pack! Four (4) tickets to the STEAM Carnival! Round up the kids and bring them out for a day they won't soon forget!

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

You selected

Pledge $128 or more

35 backers

You'll get two (2) tickets to the carnival, PLUS you're sending 5 deserving at-risk students to the Los Angeles or San Francisco STEAM Carnival for a fantastic day of inspiration and excitement!

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

You selected

Pledge $148 or more

16 backers
Limited (34 left of 50)

A Steam Carnival Rotocube kit ready to assembly. This mechanical marvel will delight and amaze you. It features a robot cranking a gear, the Two Bit Circus planetary gear logo, and a swinging Jacob's Strike hammer, completely motorized on three sides of a 4" cube.. Your friends will admire your taste in laser cut wooden automata, your dexterity and kit-assembly skills, and you'll be showing your support for the STEAM Carnival in style!

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $168 or more

9 backers
Limited (41 left of 50)

A Steam Carnival Rotocube, fully assembled. This mechanical marvel will delight and amaze you. It features a robot cranking a gear, the Two Bit Circus planetary gear logo, and a swinging Jacob's Strike hammer, completely motorized on three sides of a 4" cube. Your friends will admire your taste in laser cut wooden automata, and you'll be showing your support for the STEAM Carnival in style!

Pledge $256 or more

7 backers

A ticket for you or an at-risk child to the Carnival, and you'll be sponsoring a starter kit for a group of kids. The kit will contain hardware and software to help kids create a project to showcase at the event!

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $512 or more

6 backers

Four (4) ticket for you an at-risk children to the Carnival, and you'll be sponsoring a starter kit for a group of kids. The kit will contain hardware and software to help kids create a project to showcase at the event!

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $512 or more

13 backers
Limited (12 left of 25)

Two (2) tickets to our VIP Gala Event in downtown Los Angeles on September 28th 2013! An exciting high-profile preview of the STEAM Carnival complete with gypsy music, artisanal carnival food, a sampling of our games, fire, and performances. Also includes two tickets to the actual carnival in the spring!

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

You selected

Pledge $768 or more

1 backer

Send a group of 10 deserving kids to the carnival and set them up with 2 kits to get started! You'll get a poster to hang over your desk. We'll make sure you get updates for your sponsored kids so you can follow along their progress!

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $1,024 or more

2 backers
Limited (4 left of 6)

A private creation session with members of the Two Bit Circus crew! We'll spend an afternoon with up to 8 kids, teaching them our ideation process, how we use engineering and design to make amazing things. We'll send them home with a tangible take-away that they helped create. No refunds if they go home and turn the garage into a mad-scientist lab.

Estimated delivery:Jul 2013

You selected

Pledge $2,048 or more

4 backers
Limited (6 left of 10)

Send the STEAM Carnival to a school! We'll load up some representative projects and take them to a southern California school of your choice. We'll give the kids a hands on presentation and explain HOW we designed and built the projects. It will be inspirational, educational, and tons of fun!
Additional transportation costs may apply.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

You selected

Pledge $4,096 or more

2 backers
Limited (3 left of 5)

Your own Buttonwall Twister game! This is our signature game, and we'll be making a very limited run for special Kickstarter supporters. We'll show you how it works, how to set it up, and you'll have the coolest midway garage on the block!

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $8,192 or more

0 backers
Limited (5 left of 5)

Private Carnival in our workshop! Invite up to 75 people for your own party in our huge workshop in Downtown Los Angeles. We'll provide the entertainment and refreshments. You provide the guests.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

You selected

Pledge $10,000

2 backers
Limited (2 left of 4)

Have a birthday, corporate event, or Bar Mitzvah you want to super charge?! We'll bring a mini-Carnival to your party! Additional fees for events outside of Los Angeles.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Funding period

Apr 30, 2013 - Jun 3, 2013
(34 days)

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